No. 10 The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger by Arthur Conan Doyle
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so undesirable an end . then, having reassured her, we followed her up the straight, badly carpeted staircase and were shown into_the room of_the mysterious lodger .

it_was a close, musty, ill- ventilated place, as might_be expected, since its inmate seldom left it . from keeping beasts in a cage, the woman seemed, by some retribution of fate, to_have become herself a beast in a cage . she sat now in a broken armchair in_the shadowy corner of_the room . long years of inaction had coarsened the lines of her figure, but at some period it must_have been beautiful, and was still full and voluptuous .a thick dark veil covered her face, but it_was cut off close at her upper lip and disclosed a perfectly shaped mouth and a delicately rounded chin . I_could well conceive that she had indeed been a very remarkable woman . her voice, too, was well modulated and pleasing .

" my name is_not unfamiliar to_you, Mr Holmes," said she ." i_thought that_it would bring you ."

" that_is so, madam, though I_do_not know how you_are aware that i_was interested in your case ."

"l learned it when I had recovered my health and was examined by_Mr Edmunds, the county detective . I_fear I lied to him . perhaps it would_have_been wiser had i_told the truth ."

" it_is usually wiser to_tell the truth . but why did you lie to him ? "

" because the fate of someone else depended upon it . I_know that he_was a very worthless being, and yet i_would_not have his destruction upon my conscience . we had_been so close -- so close ! "

" but has_this impediment been removed ? "

" yes, sir . the person that I allude to is dead ."

" then why should you not now tell the police anything you_know ? "

" because there_is another person to_be considered . that other person is myself . I_could_not stand the scandal and publicity which would come from a police examination . I_have_not long to live, but i_wish to die undisturbed . and yet i_wanted to_find one man of judgment to_whom I_could tell my terrible story, so_that when I_am gone all might_be understood ."

" you compliment me, madam . at_the same time, I_am a responsible person . I_do_not promise you that when_you have spoken I_may not myself think it my duty to refer the case to_the police ."

" i_think not, Mr Holmes . I_know your character and methods too well, for I_have followed your work for_some_years .Reading is_the only pleasure which fate has left me, and I miss little which passes in_the_world . but in any case, i_will take my chance of_the use which you_may make of_my tragedy . it_will ease my mind to_tell it ."

" my friend and I would_be_glad to hear it ."

the woman rose and took from a drawer the photograph of a man . he_was clearly a professional acrobat, a man of magnificent physique, taken with_his huge arms folded across his swollen chest and a smile breaking from under his heavy moustache -- the self- satisfied smile of_the man of many conquests .

" that_is Leonardo," she said .

"Leonardo, the strong man, who gave evidence ? "

" the same . and this -- this_is my husband ."

it_was a dreadful face -- a human Pig, or rather a human wild boar, for it_was formidable in its bestiality . one could imagine that vile mouth champing and foaming in its rage, and one could conceive those small, vicious eyes darting pure malignancy as_they looked forth upon_the world . ruffian, bully, beast -- it_was all written on_that heavy-jowled face .

" those two pictures will help_you, gentlemen, to understand the story . i_was a poor circus girl brought up on_the sawdust, and doing springs through_the hoop before i_was ten . when I became a woman this man loved me, if such lust as his can_be called love, and in an evil moment I became his wife . from_that day i_was in hell, and he the devil who tormented me . there_was no one in_the show who did_not know of_his treatment . he deserted me for others . he tied me down and lashed me with_his ridingwhip when I complained . they all pitied me and_they all loathed him, but what could they_do ? they feared him, one and all . for he_was terrible at all times, and murderous when he_was drunk . again and again he_was had up for assault, and for cruelty to_the beasts, but he had plenty of money and_the fines were nothing to him . the best men all left us, and_the show began to_go downhill . it_was only Leonardo and I who kept it up -- with little Jimmy Griggs, the clown . poor devil, he had_not much to_be funny about, but he_did what he_could to hold things together .

" then Leonardo came more and more into my life . you_see what he_was like . I_know now the poor spirit that was hidden in_that splendid body, but compared to my husband he_seemed like the angel Gabriel . he pitied me and helped me, till at last our intimacy turned to love -- deep, deep, passionate love, such love as I had dreamed of but never hoped to_feel . my husband suspected it, but i_think that he_was a coward as_well as a bully, and_that Leonardo was_the one man that he_was afraid of . he_took revenge in_his own way by torturing me more than ever . one night my cries brought Leonardo to_the door of_our van . we were near tragedy that night, and soon my lover and I understood that_it could_not_be avoided . my husband was not fit to live . we planned that he_should die .

"Leonardo had a clever, scheming brain . it_was he who planned it . I_do_not_say that to blame him, for i_was ready to_go with_him every inch of_the way . but i_should never have_had the wit to_think of_such a plan . we_made a club -- Leonardo made it -- and in_the leaden head he fastened five long steel nails, the points outward, with just such a spread as_the lion's paw . this_was to_give my husband his death- blow, and yet to leave the evidence that_it_was the lion which we_would loose who had done the deed .

" it_was a pitch- dark night when my husband and I went down, as was our custom, to feed the beast . we carried with_us the raw meat in a zinc pail .Leonardo was waiting at_the corner of_the big van which we_should_have to_pass before we reached the cage . he_was too slow, and we walked past him before he_could strike, but he followed us on tiptoe and I heard the crash as_the club smashed my husband's skull . my heart leaped with joy at_the sound .I sprang forward, and I undid the catch which held the door of_the great lion's cage .

" and then the terrible thing happened . you_may_have heard how quick these creatures are to scent human blood, and how it excites them . some strange instinct had told the creature in one instant that a human being had_been slain . as I slipped the bars it bounded out and was on me in an instant .Leonardo could_have saved me . if he had rushed forward and struck the beast with_his club he_might_have cowed it . but the man lost his nerve .I heard him shout in_his terror, and then I_saw him turn and fly . at_the same instant the teeth of_the lion met in my face . its hot, filthy breath had already poisoned me and i_was hardly conscious of pain . with_the palms of_my hands I tried to push the great steaming, blood- stained jaws away from me, and I screamed for help . i_was conscious that_the camp was stirring, and then dimly I remembered a group of men .Leonardo, Griggs, and others, dragging me from under the creature's paws . that was my last memory, Mr Holmes, for many a weary month . when I_came to myself and saw myself in_the mirror, I cursed that lion -- oh, how I cursed him ! -- not because he had torn away my beauty but because he had_not torn away my life .I had but one desire, Mr Holmes, and I had enough money to gratify it . it was_that i_should cover myself so_that my poor face should_be seen by none, and_that i_should dwell where none whom I had ever known should find me . that was all that was left to_me to_do -- and_that is what I_have_done .a poor wounded beast that has crawled into its hole to die -- that_is_the end of Eugenia Ronder ."

we sat in silence for some_time after_the unhappy woman had told her story . then Holmes stretched out his long arm and patted her hand with_such a show of sympathy as I had seldom known him to exhibit .

" poor girl ! " he_said ." poor girl ! the ways of fate are indeed hard to understand . if_there_is not some compensation hereafter, then the world is a cruel jest . but what of_this man Leonardo ? "

"I never saw him or heard from_him again . perhaps I_have_been wrong to_feel so bitterly against him . he might as soon have loved one_of_the freaks whom we carried round the country as_the thing which the lion had left . but a woman's love is_not so easily set aside . he had left me under the beast's claws, he had deserted me in my need, and yet I_could_not bring myself to_give him to_the gallows . for_myself, I cared nothing what became of me . what could_be more dreadful than my actual life ? but I stood between Leonardo and_his fate ."

" and he_is dead ? "

" he_was drowned last month when bathing near Margate . I_saw his death in_the paper ."

" and what did he do with_this five-clawed club, which_is the most singular and ingenious part of all your story ? "

" I_cannot tell, Mr Holmes . there_is a chalk- pit by_the camp, with a deep green pool at_the base of it . perhaps in_the depths of_that pool --"

" well, well, it_is of little consequence now . the case is closed ."

" yes," said the woman, " the case is closed ."

we had risen to_go, but there_was something in_the woman's voice which arrested Holmes's attention . he turned swiftly upon her .

" your life is_not your own," he_said ." keep your hands off it ."

" what use is_it to anyone ? "

" how can_you tell ? the example of patient suffering is in itself the most precious of all lessons to an impatient world ."

the woman's answer was a terrible one . she raised her veil and stepped forward into_the light .

"I wonder if_you_would bear it," she said .

it_was horrible . no words can describe the framework of a face when_the face itself is gone . two living and beautiful brown eyes looking sadly out from_that grisly ruin did but make_the view more awful .Holmes held up his hand in a gesture of pity and protest, and together we left the room .

two days later, when I called upon my friend, he pointed with some pride to a small blue bottle upon his mantelpiece .I picked it up . there_was a red poison label .a pleasant almondy odour rose when I opened it .

"Prussic acid ? " said 1 .

" exactly . it came by post .'I send_you my temptation . i_will follow your advice .' that was_the message . i_think, Watson, we_can guess the name of_the brave woman who sent it ."

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